Parallel Lines
by ChiTownFan
Summary: The BAU team travels to Raleigh, North Carolina to help with a series of brutal stabbings. Little do they know that a connection from one of their pasts will change everything. Slightly Reid Centric


Hi Everyone - This is my first attempt at "fan fiction." The characters presented here are of course owned by CBS, the writers and creators of Criminal Minds, and any other related business entity that has rights to the copyright. In addition, I have not read through the entire collection of writing on this site, so if my story sounds remarkably like yours, my sincerest apologies – it was not intentional, and I mean no disrespect.

Now that's out of the way, please read at your pleasure, and review accordingly. Break out the red pens; slash the story to bits if warranted. I'm looking for true reviews with honest feedback. Thanks and happy reading! Sincerely ChitownFan

* * *

Parallel Lines

Chapter 1 – Early Morning Flight

Hotchner leaned back into the airplane's seat. He was tired. Both Jack and he had a fitful bit of sleep the previous night, each dreaming and remembering what had been. His mind wandered slightly off topic, as he thought briefly about his son. He figured that he would just be waking up now, the impression of his kiss lingering on the boy's cheek. The morning sun had risen to find the BAU heading out for a new case, and he simply didn't have the heart to wake the exhausted boy.

He looked over at Derek. He looked tired as well, or perhaps it was just the early morning wake up call. Derek wasn't exactly known as a morning person, which was strange given his employment background. Perhaps he worked too many nights as a patrol officer. Hotchner didn't really know. Spencer, not surprisingly looked fully awake- no doubt the huge travel mug of coffee had something to do with that. Emily and Rossi sat next to each other comparing notes between themselves.

"We should probably go over the case again," reasoned JJ as she leaned against Hotchner's seat. Derek nodded and leaned forward.

"So far two bodies have been found," he said, leafing through the file. "Both were Caucasian females, both with brown hair and blue eyes, the same basic physical appearance."

Emily nodded. "Well, at least our unsub is consistent in the type of victim. Both were also middle class, although there is no indication that they lived in the same social circles. The type of injuries was also consistent. Knife wounds, one to the leg, and four more to the torso."

"Was there any signs of sexual assault?" asked Reid as he looked through the file.

JJ shook her head. "No. According to Detective McCaffrey, there were no indications of sexual assault."

"What's this Detective like, anyways?" asked Rossi as he looked up from the file. We usually get called in by the chief of police. Why are we being contacted by him?"

"Actually, it's a her, and technically we were called in by the police chief. He just figured that since it was her case, she should be the primary contact. From what I understand, he's got his hands filled with other crimes."

"Fair enough. Do we know anything about her?" he asked again. JJ shrugged her shoulders and looked at the file.

"Well, she's already a detective at 27, and most of the other people on the force like her. Other than that, we'll know more when we meet her. From what I understand, she's waiting for us at the police station."

"Okay," Hotchner sat sitting up and rubbing his eyes. "Emily, you, Reid and Morgan go to the crime scene and seen what information we can get. Rossi, JJ and I will meet with Detective McCaffrey. We have few minutes before we land; let's see if we can go over the case some more."

"Using a knife is indicative of a personal connection with the victim," reasoned Spencer, taking a sip from his coffee. "And the cuts don't appear to be clean or surgical."

Morgan nodded his head in agreement – "Whoever did this has a lot of rage built up. How far apart were the two victims?"

"Well, each were found 3 days apart from each other, and based on the blood in the crime scene photos, they appear to have been killed at the location."

"They found flowers near each victim," interjected Emily. "Maybe a sign of remorse?"

"When was the last one found?" Rossi asked. JJ looked at her watch.

"About 12 hours ago," she said. "Which means that the unsub, if he strikes again, will probably do so in the next two days."

"Do we have enough for a geographical profile?" asked Morgan. Reid shook his head.

"Not yet. It wouldn't be statistically viable with only two victims. So far the unsub hasn't strayed far from the town's limits, though. Maybe he's from the area."

"Or from outside," countered Hotchner. "Unsubs don't always kill in the areas in which they live, and both places where the bodies were found was near high traffic areas. One was found under a highway bridge, and the other was found beside a well used hiking trail."

"Do we know anything about the victims other than their physical appearance?" asked Emily. "Have they been identified?"

"Well, the first victim, Caroline Jackson, was an accountant who worked in Raleigh. From what the police say, she traveled over that bridge most days to get to work. The second victim, Stephanie Patrakis was an administrative secretary at the University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill Campus. She was an active hiker, and was known to use the hiking trails in the area."

"So both attacks could have been opportunistic," said Emily. "The unsub could have waited for the right victim to come along, and attacked."

"Possible. We'll find out more when we land," said Hotchner. "Everyone know the game plan?"

Each of his team nodded their heads.

"Good. It looks like we're landing now."

* * *

Chapter 2 – Touch Down in Raleigh

The BAU stepped off the plane to see two uniformed officers waiting for them at the airport. The men looked up and started walking towards them.

"Welcome to Raleigh," greeted one, shaking JJ's hand which had been outstretched in greeting. "I'm Paul Dawson. This here is Darren Jakes. Mac said to meet you guys here. Finding the police station can be a bit difficult, especially from the airport."

The necessary introductions were made, each member of the team either shaking hands or waving hello. Hotchner frowned slightly.

"Mac?" he asked quizzically.

"Oh. Sorry. Detective McCaffrey. Everyone calls her Mac here."

"Do you know what her first name is?" asked Reid, his eyebrows furrowed slightly. Officer Dawson frowned slightly.

"You know? I don't, now that you mention it. Why?"

Reid shrugged his shoulders. "The name sounds familiar, that's all."

"It's a pretty common name, kid," reasoned Morgan.

"Come on, we probably should be going," said Officer Jakes. We've got a lot of ground to cover, and from what Mac said, not a lot of time."

"Actually, we were wondering if a few of us could go visit the crime scenes," asked Agent Rossi. "That way we can cover more ground. Emily, why don't you guys go with Officer Dawson to take a look at the crime scenes. We'll catch up with you back at the police station."

Officer Dawson nodded his head. "No problem. We drove separately just in case."

Reid, Morgan and Prentiss got into the unmarked police car and drove away.

"Lead the way," said JJ. With that, the remaining members of the team got into the second vehicle and left the airport as well.

************

The car slowed down and came to a stop beside a relatively small bridge. The road was two lane and paved, and the bridge itself was only slightly wider than the road itself. The crime scene was along the banks of the seasonal creek that the bridge crossed.

"Has it rained recently?" asked Prentiss as she gingerly made her way down the slope. Although her boots weren't as bad as high heels, the still provided little traction in this muddy mixture of pine needles, red mud, and ferns. Officer Dawson shook his head.

"Not since we found her," he said. "We took casts of fresh footprints in the area, but as you can see, this area is highly traveled. There's no telling if we took the right ones. Besides, the style was of one of the most common athletic shoes on the market today."

"I see what you mean," sighed Morgan, looking at the ground. Open cans and foot treads littered the muddy ground, and there was evidence of make shift campsites closer to the bridge. "A lot of homeless live here?"

"By and by," said Dawson, shrugging his shoulders. "People come by and spend the night sometimes. They don't often stay though, on account of the sewage line nearby. When it rains, it backs up a bit. Stinks to high heaven, it does."

"I don't think the unsub observed the victim from here," said Reid looking around. "You really can't seen anything- the roads too high up, and the banks really don't allow for you to see any of the surrounding area."

"What are you saying, Spencer?" asked Emily, coming closer. "You don't think this was the primary crime scene?"

"No, it was the crime scene all right. I just don't think this is where the unsub observed his victim. He couldn't see anything from here."

"So he watched from the road?" said Morgan scrambling ungracefully up the slope. "There really isn't a place to see and be unseen here. The side of the road is pretty clear of those pine trees we saw on the drive down here."

"Not on the other side of the bridge," said Emily, her head nodding in that direction. At the other side of the bridge was thick with pine trees, providing ample cover for someone watching the road. All three of them walked over to the trees.

"Dammit!" said Morgan looking at the ground. "Pine needles!" Officer Dawson laughed.

"You're not from around here, that's for sure," he said. "You'll fine those things everywhere. It makes it a little harder to see footprints if they've been left behind."

"But it doesn't cover every trace," said Reid, his eyes zeroing in on a nearby tree. "Officer Dawson, do you have a camera and some gloves in your car?"

"What did you find, kid?" asked Morgan, moving closer.

"A hair," he said. "It looks human, and it's about 6 feet off the ground."

"Someone was leaning his back against the tree, and his hair got pulled out by the bark," Emily breathed over Reid's shoulder. "Good job, Spence!"

Officer Dawson returned with a camera, a pair of latex gloves, and a small Ziploc bag. Morgan took a number of pictures; both close up and wide angle. After that, Emily put the gloves on, and carefully removed the hair, placing it in the Ziploc bag.

"Hopefully we can get some DNA off of this," she said, squinting at the hair.

"Do you think it belongs to whoever has been cutting up these women?" asked Officer Dawson, touching the corner of the bag.

"It's a distinct possibility," said Morgan.

* * *

Chapter 3 – Face to Face with the Past

JJ leaned forward from the backseat of the car, her full chest stretching against the seat belt. She figured she'd have to pump her breasts sometime tonight when she got back to the hotel. God they were tender to the touch.

"Has the Raleigh police department dealt with something like this before?" she asked over the low hum of the police radio.

"Not me, personally, Ma'am, " Officer Jakes said, but I can definitely check in the records department when we get there, though."

"Our people can look into it," said Rossi, picking up the phone. "Think this unsub has done this before?"

"People don't often get this violent on the first try," reasoned Hotchner, "and each of the cuts were placed in the same place on the body, relatively speaking. It stands to reason that the unsub might have had some practice before this." Officer Jakes smiled slightly.

"Didn't realize there was more than one of you," he said.

"I beg your pardon?" said Hotchner, turning his head to gaze into the rearview mirror.

"Sorry. You guys just sound like Mac. She asked us to look into other cases as well- and had the same reasoning. I guess we've got our own profiler, huh?"

Officer Jakes turned into a parking lot and everyone got out of the car. The building was a two story non descript brick building, a small sign out front, and the number of police cars out front the only indication that it was a police precinct. The group walked inside to find it a bustling mess of phones, people and paperwork. Officer Jakes called over the din,

"Hey Mac! Your suits are here!"

At that, a young woman looked up from a desk across the room, and brushed her brown hair out of her eyes. She had an athletic build, and stood about five and a half feet tall. She was dressed casually, in a faded pair of jeans and a buttoned down shirt, the sleeves just brushing her elbows. She wasn't wearing any make-up, save for a bit of lipstick and mascara.

"Glad you're here," she drawled, coming forward. Her accent was slightly southern, but still had traces of being from somewhere else.

"You're not from around here, originally, are you?" asked Rossi as he introduced himself. She smiled slightly.

"No, not originally. But I still slip up and talk like a southern belle from time to time. Why don't you guys follow me? I've got a room all set up for you." She turned and started to walk through the main room. She went down a short hallway and opened a door to a medium sized room. Hotchner nodded at Rossi as they followed closely behind.

"Notice her eyes?" he said, nodding in Mac's direction. Rossi nodded.

"Uh-huh. They were blue."

The room was simple, but functional in its set up. There was a central table with a number of chairs around, and a laptop and speaker phone was set up in the middle of the table. A large whiteboard was set up along the far wall.

"Will this suffice?" she asked as they entered the room. I took the liberty of bringing in the case files that we have."

JJ smiled. "This will do fine," she said looking around. "Thanks for setting it up for us."

"Not a problem. So what's your plan? How do you want to start?"

"The thing I'm wondering is why a young detective like you got assigned to this case," said Rossi as he came forward into the room, his brown eyes fixing on Mac's. JJ got the distinct impression of a cougar stalking his prey. Mac didn't flinch.

"I know I'm young, and there are a number of well qualified detectives out there in that room with more experience," she said, meeting his gaze calmly with a smile. "But the unsub as you call him had different ideas."

"What do you mean?" asked Hotchner.

"Wasn't it in the summary files that we sent over?" she said, frowning slightly. "I told Dawson to include everything that was important."

Her question was met with puzzled glances from Hotchner, Rossi and JJ. She sighed and sat down.

"You know from the crime scene photographs that a few flowers were found near each victim, right?"

"Yes. White roses were found near the first victim, and yellow daisies were found near the second one. We figured it was a sign of remorse."

"I would have thought the same, except for one thing." She reached over a pressed the a few buttons on the speaker phone.

"Hey Captain? Mind bringing in the flowers?"

"Sure Mac. Be there in a moment."

A short time later a grey hair man walked into the room with two vases of flowers. One had white roses, and the other had yellow daises.

"These were delivered the same day that we discovered each of the bodies," she said, walking forward and taking the vases from the man. "Thanks Captain. Oh, sorry. Everyone, this is Captain Robbins, my boss. This is Supervisory Special Agent Hotchner, Supervisory Special Agent Rossi, and Supervisory Special Agent Jureau of the Behavorial Analysis Unit of the FBI."

"Glad to meet you," said Captain Robbins, shaking hands.

"Call me JJ."

"And call me Hotch. We're glad to be here."

"I'm glad you're here. Maybe you can talk some sense into my girl over there. She's being a bit stubborn about this."

"I'm not being stubborn, Captain," Mac said, her eyes rolling slightly. "We just disagree on what this means."

"Perps sending cops flowers is never a good sign. He's stalking you." He waved at the flowers as if they were evidence of a grand conspiracy.

"He's not stalking me," she countered. The attached cards don't indicate that."

"What cards?" asked Morgan as he walked into the room. Following close behind him was Prentiss and then Reid. " Sorry we took so long, We had to send something to the lab from one of the crime scenes."

"Oh? What?" asked Mac, looking at a page from the file.

Reid stopped in his tracks, a small breath escaping from his lips. It couldn't be.

"Anastasia?" he asked tentatively. Mac looked up sharply, a brief look of panic flashing across her face. It was quickly replaced by a smile and a warm softening of the eyes.

"Hello, stranger," she said looking directly at Reid.

"I thought you were dead!" blurted Reid, feeling a slight color raise into his cheeks. "What are you doing here!" She laughed slightly.

"Good to see you too, Spencer. Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm still alive and kicking."

"You know Dr. Reid?" asked Hotchner looking from one to the other.

"Dr. Reid, huh?" said Mac, crossing her arms and smiling broadly. "Not surprising. You always were the smart one. So Spencer, do you want to fill them in, or should I?"

Spencer swallowed quickly.

"Ana—"

"Everyone here knows me as Mac," she interrupted. "Might as well stick to one nickname, you know?"

"Um, okay," said Reid.

Mac smiled. "So do you want to fill them in, or should I?"

"We went to school together, at least for a little bit. My junior and part of my senior year if I recall," explained Spencer.

"So you knew our boy wonder in high school, huh?" asked Prentiss.

"Yes. Does he still blurt out pieces of bizarre information at the slightest provocation?"

"Yeah."

"Sounds like him." Mac sat down, smiling again.

"Anastasia, huh?" said Captain Robbins with a smile. "Wait until the boys here about this!"

* * *

Chapter 4 – A Review and New Insights

Everyone sat around the table, each with a portion of the file open in front of them.

"So tell us about these cards," requested Morgan, closing the file in front of him. "What do they say?"

"I'm not entirely sure," she said ruefully, pulling her hair back into a loose ponytail. "Here, take a look."

She passed the cards within the evidence bag around the table. There were two cards, each with a decorative border around the edges. On both sides of the card were typed a series of numbers, in a seemingly random pattern.

"It must be some sort of code," she sighed. "I haven't been able to figure it out yet. I tried alphanumeric coding, you know a=1, e as the most common numeral, I even tried to treat it as a transposition cipher. So far I haven't had much luck."

"Could it be passages from a book?" asked Morgan, thinking back to an earlier cases.

"Maybe, but without knowing the book, it's hard to tell."

"Reid, why don't you take a look at it," suggested Hotch. "If anyone can crack the code it's you."

"You know, " said Rossi, leaning forward onto the table. "These flowers change our whole profile."

Morgan nodded. "Yeah, I guess it does."

"How do you mean?" asked Mac, her eyes shifting from one to the other.

"Both the victims were female, had brown hair and blue eyes," stated Rossi, looking directly at Mac.

"Both of them look remarkably like you, Detective McCaffrey," said Hotch.

"Please, call me Mac. And I hate to break it to you, but brown hair and blue eyes isn't exactly an exotic look."

"True. But no one else to the best of our knowledge is receiving flowers from the unsub," countered Rossi.

"So you agree with the Captain. This guy is stalking me."

"There are a few different types of stalkers," said Reid glancing swiftly at Mac. "Sometimes it's an old lover, or someone that sees you as their possession."

"And I somehow made this person angry, and now he's killing people who look like me?" she frowned, her smooth forehead creasing deeply. "Sorry, Spencer, I don't buy it. It doesn't fit."

"Why do you say that?" asked Morgan. "How would you explain it?"

"Well think about it. Most stalkers need an initial contact with the person. They need something to pin their delusions on. You can ask anyone here. Outside this precinct, I really have no life. I don't go on dates, I don't talk to the public much. Hell, if any guy came near me, half the men on this force would be going into big brother protective mode. And the cards don't fit."

"That's true," said Prentiss. These don't look like threats or letters of undying love or devotion."

"Exactly. This guy has sent me a puzzle. For some reason, he seems to think that I have the capability to solve it and catch him before the next body turns up. It's a game."

"But why you?" asked Rossi, the cougar look returning to his eyes. "There has to be something. You said it yourself, you're not in the limelight. You stick to the background. Why you?"

"How should I know?" she growled, pushing away from the table and rubbing the back of her neck. "Because I have brown hair?"

"Anything in your past that would cause someone taking an interest in you like this?" asked Morgan, sitting down in the chair next to her, and pulling in closer. Reid's eyes went to Morgan's and Mac's knees. They were almost touching. He swallowed, and straightened up slightly. Mac pulled away slightly, putting a bit more distance between herself and Morgan. A soft smile played at Reid's lips. Anastasia was the same as she was in high school. She always got a little nervous when people got too close. Morgan sensed her unease and backed slightly away as well.

"Sorry, princess," he said with a smile. "Just trying to figure this out."

Mac glanced up at Reid and the stiffness in her shoulder visibly softened. "It's all right. I know. I'm just not sure what I can tell you."

"How were things when you were little? Anything like this ever happen to you before?"

"Like this? No. Growing up was pretty normal, I guess, by today's standards. My mother and little brother left when I was ten. He was nine, maybe eight and a half at the time if I remember. My father and I moved around a lot over the next few years. We lived in a lot of different places before landing in Nevada."

She looked up and saw slightly puzzled faces greeting her.

"My father got sick a lot," she explained, getting up and leaning against the wall. "It was hard for him to hold down a job. Sooner or later he would anger the boss enough that he'd get fired, and we'd have to move. Finally he got sick enough that he got checked into a hospital and then into long term care. That happened when I was seventeen. After that, I left, and never looked back."

"You just left your father in a long term facility?" asked Prentiss incredulously. "Didn't you visit him? Or write?" Mac glanced up at Prentiss, her eyes glinting slightly.

"No. The doctors thought it would be better if I didn't."

"This happened during the last few months that you were in Nevada, didn't it?" asked Reid.

"Yeah, it did," she answered. "Sorry if I wasn't my normal chipper self." Mac smiled slightly.

"About the only thing I remember changing is that you gained some weight," said Reid. "What? What did I say?" Reid glanced around to see Prentiss and JJ glaring at him. Morgan laughed softly.

"So why did your mother and little brother leave?" asked Morgan.

"Well, I tell you what. If you find them, you can ask them," she said, pushing herself away from the wall. "Sorry. I imagine she couldn't handle him being sick all the time."

"You didn't look for them?"

"Hey, they're the ones that left. Not me. I figure when they want to talk, they can find me."

What happened after your father went into the hospital?" asked Rossi. Mac shrugged.

"I went into foster care for a little bit. That worked for about a month or two. Then I lived around, mostly on the streets for a few years. When I was twenty one, I ended up in the Captain's holding cell. He made me an offer that was too good to pass up."

"Really?"

"Well, by that point, I had a bit of juvenile record, and was well on my way to getting an adult one. Minor stuff really, but enough to get a pretty good black mark."

"So, he was going to get your record expunged?"

"No, not expunged, he was just going to get my juvenile record sealed, and the charges that had been pending while I was in his cell. The thing was that I had to enter the police academy, and he'd fix it so I was assigned to his precinct. I've been working here ever since."

"Yeah, she has," said Captain Robbins, walking into the room. "And she's become one of the best detectives that I've got. Guess all that experience as a petty thief does pay off."

Mac blushed slightly. "Like I said, guys, I'm not sure what my life can tell you. Before here, the longest stint I stayed anywhere was in Nevada."

"And that was just for about eighteen months if memory serves," said Reid.

"And it usually does," muttered Prentiss under her breath.

"Why don't you all go to your hotels and get some sleep?" suggested Captain Robbins.

"You guys have been at this for a long time. You've got to be tired."

"We should, but there is something I'd like to do first," said Hotch standing.

"Name it," replied the Captain. "Anything you need."

"Mac, with your permission, I'd like Reid and Morgan to take a look around your apartment. Maybe there is something there that would give us a clue as to who this unsub is."

With a sigh, Mac shrugged her shoulders. "All right, if you think it will help. Come on guys, it's not far."

"Let me grab the keys to the car," said Morgan, reaching for them on the desk.

"No need," she said walking to the door. "I live in the apartment upstairs."

* * *

Chapter 5 – A Hidden Picture

Mac slid the key into her apartment and let Morgan and Reid in.

"Take a look around," she said as they entered the room. "There isn't much to see, though."

She threw the keys to Reid. "Lock up when you're done, stranger. I'm going downstairs to catch up on paperwork."

With that, the door closed quietly behind them.

Morgan and Reid looked around the room.

"She's right, there isn't much here," commented Reid as he walked around the studio apartment. In the far corner was a small stove and refrigerator; on the opposite wall was her sleeping quarters, separated by a wooden screen. Finally, there was a bookcase filled with books, including books on forensics, Shakespeare, and a few books on religion.

"Nice collection here," commented Morgan. "Surprising that she has kept them, given the amount she moved around. So what was she like in high school?"

"Kept to herself, really," said Reid walking around. "She was shy around crowds, but when she was around one person only she opened up a bit more." Reid shrugged.

"Around one person, or just you?" asked Morgan.

"From the look of these books, most of them are just a few years old," said Reid, pulling one down from the shelf. "They're in pretty good condition. I don't see any pictures, anywhere, though."

"Here's one," said Morgan pulling it out from beside a stack of books. "It was hidden behind a few of these. Wow."

"What?" asked Reid, coming over from beside the wooden screen. "Did you find something?"

"This girl must have really cared about you," said Morgan, handing him the framed picture.

Spencer looked down at the picture in his hand. Staring back at him was him and Anastasia, smiling, as teenagers, her head resting comfortably against his shoulder. A wealth of memories flooded into his head. Memories of the two of them working on homework together in the library, of Anastasia forcing him to go outside and enjoy the sunshine when all he wanted to do was sit and read in the library.

"So she has a picture of me," he said, handing the picture back. "It's not even a good one."

Morgan shook his head.

"You don't get it, kid."

"What?"

"She went into foster care, right? Now, I know you probably don't know this, but when you're put into foster care, you're usually allowed to take only one picture with you. She probably had a lot of different pictures to choose from, including ones of her parents, even one of her little brother. She chose this one. And by how much it's been creased and re-folded, I bet she's carried that picture in her pocket all the years that she was living on the streets."

Reid reached over and took the picture back from Morgan. He put it back on the shelf, right behind the books.

"We were friends," he said under his breath. "I didn't think it was anything more than that."

* * *

Chapter 6 – A Profile and Puzzle Revealed

The next morning the team met in the conference room. Morgan was on the cell phone, calling to Garcia.

"You've reached the desk of infinite knowledge and power," she answered. Morgan smiled. Same old Penelope.

"Hey baby girl," he said. "How's the love of my life?"

He heard Garcia smile through the phone. "Beautiful as always, sexy. What can I do for you?"

"I need some background. We think this unsub has done this before. Can you search the records for any murder victims in the North and South Carolina area meeting this criteria?"

"You mean one stab wound to the leg, and four to the torso, female, white?"

"You got it, Baby Cakes."

"How far back do you want to go?"

"Go back five, no make that ten years. Let's hope that's enough."

"Coming right at you, hon. Just give me a few. Garcia out."

"Bye, lady love."

"Was that Garcia?" asked Rossi as he came into the room.

"Yeah," replied Morgan flipping the cell phone closed.

"Any word back on the hair sample you guys found at the first crime scene?"

Morgan shook his head.

"I didn't ask, and she didn't say. I'm assuming it's still being processed by the lab."

"Morning," said Emily as she and Reid walked into the room. The rest of the team smelled the coffee steaming out of Reid's mug.

"God, that smells good," said JJ, eyeing the cup.

"I just put a fresh pot on," said Mac as she passed the doorway. You're welcome to help yourself."

"Aren't you going to join us?" asked Reid, raising his eyebrows slightly. The image of the photograph flashed before his mind's eye.

"I figured you all would want to talk privately for a while, get your story straight," she said with a grin. "Besides, I've got paperwork to do, and I won't be far away. Just shout if you need me."

"So what do we know?" asked Hotch. "Are we ready to give a profile yet?"

Emily shook her head. If we do, it's going to be incomplete. All we can tell them is what they already know. There's someone out there stabbing brunettes who have blue eyes."

"He's an opportunistic killer, and looks like he uses blitz attacks. From the amount of blood at the scenes the two victims didn't know what hit them," added Emily.

"But there was no sexual element," said Rossi. "You would expect to see some of that when there is this much apparent rage."

"Maybe our guy has problems in that area. Maybe he's stabbing out of sexual frustration?" reasoned Emily.

"Possible. We really need more information to be sure," said Hotch.

"JJ, go and tell the Captain to gather his men. We'll give them what we can."

JJ stood up and started walking to the door. She was met there by Officer Dawson. His black complexion changed to an ashen gray.

"Where's Mac?" he asked. "We've got problems."

"What happened?" asked Rossi, standing up.

"They've found more bodies," he said searching the room. He swallowed hard.

"Who is it?" asked Mac from behind Officer Dawson. Officer Dawson turned slightly so that everyone could see him.

"It's Captain Robbins and his wife. They were found stabbed to death at the entrance to the town dump early this morning."

"But this is off script," breathed Mac, taking a few steps back and lowering herself down in a nearby chair. "I haven't received flowers, and the Captain definitely doesn't fit the victim profile." Reid moved forward slightly. What should he do, he wondered. Should he go to her? Mac straightened herself up in the chair, and looked up at Reid. She smiled slightly at the look of concern flashing in his eyes.

"It's all right," she said, pushing herself out of the chair. "Let's go take a look at the crime scene."

"Mac, we need you here," said Officer Dawson. "Technically, until we can find a replacement, you're next in line. You're in charge."

"Huh. I guess you're right." She paused for a moment, trying to stop her head from spinning. Robbins and his wife were dead. The two people in this town that she had gotten close too were dead. Oh God. Were they right? Could it be true?

"Okay. Dawson, get the FBI people down to the crime scene. I'm assuming the crime scene guys are on their way, and the scene has been secured?"

"Mac!"

Mac looked up to see a bouquet of flowers coming her direction. "These were dropped off for you a few moments ago."

Mac walked swiftly over and grabbed the bouquet out the of patrol officer's hands.

"Did you see who delivered them?" she barked as she walked into the conference room.

"It was just a delivery boy," said the patrol officer. It was Jimmy, from the flower shop across town."

"How did he get the flowers? Did he see who bought them?" Her questions came in rapid fire succession, her hands trembling slightly as she searched out the card.

"Mac, it was the same as before. The order was telephoned in, and payment was made using a gift card."

"Dammit! That doesn't help!" she shouted. As soon as the words left her lips, she regretted them.

"I'm so sorry, Karl," she said, coming forward. "That was uncalled for."

The patrol officer looked at her. "It's ok. We all know how much they meant to you," he said.

"Why don't you and a few others start canvassing the neighborhood near the landfill. Maybe someone saw something."

"Yes sir, I mean yes Ma'am."

"Reid, why don't you stay here," ordered Hotch. "Take another look at those cards. Something tells me that we need to break that code, and quick."

Reid watched as his friends and colleagues left the room to head out to the latest crime scene. The room, for a brief moment was unnaturally quiet. It was as if all the detectives and police officers were afraid to breathe.

"Come on, Spence, we've got work to do" Mac said, touching his arm softly. The spell was broken, and the room erupted into a storm of activity.

She and Reid went into the back room. Reid took the cards and placed them on the whiteboard. His mind started working, drawing inferences and relationships between the numbers. They talked about the different possible ciphers, but each one they came up with and tried ended them back where they started: with nothing.

"We're making this too hard," Mac said, rubbing her neck. Without thinking, Reid placed his hand on her neck and started rubbing it slightly, just as he used to in high school.

"Mmm," she breathed. "That feels good. But you better stop before you put me to sleep."

"Sorry," he replied, swiftly removing his hand from the back of her neck. He was surprised at how natural it felt to do it.

"Don't be. Old habits die hard, I know. Remember how we looked after each other in high school?"

"From what I remember you were constantly pulling me away from my reading."

"And I remember surviving calculus because of you," she said moving slightly forward to peer at one of the cards. Reid gave her a puzzled look.

"I never tutored you in calculus," he said, turning to look at her profile. His eyes traveled swiftly up and down. He shook his head. Focus!

"Yeah, but sitting next to you during the tests certainly helped a lot," She grinned slightly at the memory. Her brow furrowed as she pulled one of the cards down from the wall.

"Spencer?"

"Yes, Anastasia?" His heart skipped a beat. This was maddening. They were talking about the case!

"I think we've been looking at this the wrong way."

"What do you mean?"

She handed a card to him. "Look at the decorative border around the card. What does it look like to you?"

Reid looked closely at the border. It was a series of dots and dashes. He glanced up to see her grinning slightly.

"It's Morse code," he said, matching her grin. "Let's get to work."

* * *

Chapter 7 A New Level of Violence

Morgan and Rossi surveyed the crime scene. It was brutal, and the signs of struggle were everywhere.

"They fought hard," Rossi said, looking around at the foot traffic and blood spatter. "No way we have just one unsub. He had to have help."

Morgan shook his head. He walked over to the gate of the landfill. The chain had blood spatter, and the heavy duty lock had pieces of flesh. Morgan looked to the head wound on the male victim.

"It looks like he got knocked unconscious with this," he said, lifting up the chain with a gloved hand. "It's a change from his normal method."

"The knife wounds seem deeper, too," said Prentiss. "This guy, whoever he is, is getting angrier and more violent by the minute."

"I know," said Hotch looking over her shoulder. "And I don't like the pattern that's emerging."

"What are you driving at Hotch?" asked Rossi, stepping forward.

"Whether she likes it or not, Detective McCaffrey has always been at the center of this investigation. At first the unsub was fixated on people that looked like her. Now he's moved on to her surrogate family and her friends."

"And you think Reid is the next target," finished Rossi, his eyes searching Hotch's face for confirmation.

"You saw the connection that they have, and anyone who was in that police precinct would have easily overheard them talking about their high school days."

"We should get back," said Emily with a worried frown. "I don't think we can gain any more insight from this place."

"Agreed," said Hotch. We'll let the crime scene people finish up. Morgan, give Garcia a call. Maybe she's found something that we can use."

*****

Reid placed his pencil down and looked at the words printed on the piece of paper for the card he was working on. The coding was small, and there was a surprising amount of information. He certainly didn't like what he saw written before him.

_You're betrayal is remembered. I know what you did, who you threw away. You took everything important, everything sacred away from me! Now it is your turn! I will see you suffer, and you __will not even realize what is happening before it is too late!_

Reid looked up to see Mac looking at her Morse code translation. Even with her chestnut hair falling in front of her face, he could see the worried expression on it. He reached over and pulled the card gently from beneath the weight of her hand.

_You stupid bitch. You didn't think I would actually go away, did you? That woman __did not have to die, you know. If you would just leave your goddamn apartment and come out and face me. You've got to be punished for what you did. You never came. You promised me. _

"Why is this happening?" she asked softly, laying her head against the table, her shoulders trembling slightly.

"Can you think of anyone that you've betrayed?" he asked, coming to sit beside her. "Anyone you left behind?" Mac shook her head and sat up again. Reid saw a tear roll down her cheek. Hesitantly he reached out wiped them away.

"No. I don't know. I never let anyone get close enough to betray them," she said, her hand briefly touching his as she too wiped her cheek. She looked sideways at him and stumbled to her feet. It was getting harder to deny the electricity that coursing between them. Reid stood as well, his eyes searching her for answers.

"Listen," she breathed. "I got to get out of here. I've got to get some air. Can you hold down the fort for a few minutes? I promise, I won't go far, or be very long."

Reid stood back and looked her up and down. He didn't bother to try and mask the worried expression in his eyes.

"You ok?" he asked. Mac laughed.

"I've had better days," she said, a faint twinkle returning to her eyes. "But I'm ok."

"Ok. Go. I'll be here when you return."

In a flash, she reached forward and pulled Reid into a quick embrace.

"I know," she breathed into his ear. "Thank you."

Just as quick, she was gone from his embrace, and gone from the room, leaving the sensation of touch and complicated feelings behind.

* * *

Chapter 8 -- Revelations

Morgan, Rossi, Prentiss and JJ walked into the conference room. Their haggard faces told Reid that the visit to the crime scene had been tough on all of them.

"This guy is getting more violent," Emily said, sitting down in a chair. Reid swallowed hard.

"Have you guys had any luck with the cards?" asked Hotch.

"Yeah," replied Reid, pulling the cards down from the whiteboard. "Ana- I mean Mac figured out that the numbers weren't important. The borders on the card were Morse code. From there it was an easy substitution."

"What do the cards say?" asked JJ.

"See for yourself," said Reid. "I just finished the last one."

_You swine. You think they can help you? Nothing can help you now. I will take everything from you. Everything you love, everything you know. Just like you took it from me. Everyone has a choice. You made yours, now live with the consequences._

Each member of the team in turn read the three translations. Reid saw the same worried expression travel across their faces.

Morgan's cell phone broke the uneasy silence.

"Hey Baby Girl," he said. "Please tell me you got something." He was silent for a few moments. His eyes widened. "Hey Garcia, I'm putting you on speaker. Repeat what you just said.

"All right. Listen up folks. I think I figured it out, or at least I'm able to give you a bigger piece of the puzzle."

"What did you find, Penelope?" asked Hotch, a slight edge entering into his voice.

"Well Morgan asked me to search back ten years to find other murders meeting the criteria of our crimes in North and South Carolina. I didn't get any hits with the same wound pattern, so I expanded the search nationwide, and I found something like it. It was an attempted murder out in Nevada, about ten years ago."

"Attempted murder?" asked Emily. "You mean the victim is still alive?"

"It turns out that about ten years ago, a girl, no more than seventeen was beaten and stabbed five times by her father, if you can believe that. Once in the leg and four in the torso in what the doctors described as one of the most viscous attacks they had seen in that community. From the amount of blood and chaos found at the scene, the police officers on the scene first thought that the girl was dead. She wasn't. The police got the father subdued and restrained into handcuffs. The girl opened her eyes slightly, and her father went berserk, calling her a demon and tried to attack her again by jumping on her and trying to biting her. According to the medical report, the bastard bit into her shoulder and tore out a chunk of her flesh. It took five officers to get him out of the place. Her own father did this. Can you imagine?"

"Garcia, please tell me you have a name and address," said Morgan, leaning onto the conference table. "We need to talk to this girl."

"That's just it, handsome, you have been," said Garcia, her voice rising slightly in excitement. "The victim's name is Anastasia McCaffrey."

"What happened to the father?" asked Rossi.

"He was found not guilty but reason of mental disease or defect," said a soft voice from the doorway. Reid looked up to see her standing in the doorway, her face pale and drawn. Without a word, he pulled out a chair beside him. She walked over and sat down, her eyes staring intently at the cell phone on the table.

"My father would go into these episodes where he would hear voices." Mac felt Reid's hand lace into hers underneath the table. She drew strength from it, and a bit of courage.

"The voices told him time and time again that I was a demon. That my blue eyes meant that I was a demon sent to corrupt and devour the world. When I was younger, I would hide, or skirt out of the way until the episodes passed. As I got older the episodes kept getting longer and more violent.

When I was a teen, I discovered color contacts. I changed my eyes to brown, and for a while, for a few weeks, those types of attacks stopped. I became a miracle, and he told me that miracles should be made to flourish. And then, one night, he saw my contact slide. He saw the blue eyes behind the brown ones and just lost it. I never saw him so enraged before. The next thing I remember was coming out of a haze to see him on top of me, trying to bite my shoulder. There was so much blood everywhere."

"Why didn't you tell us this before?" asked Prentiss, watching both her and Spencer. Slowly he had moved closer to her so that their shoulders were almost touching.

"A few reasons, really," she answered, looking up. "One, like I said before, he died well before these other murders started. And for the last ten years, he's been in a psychiatric ward of a hospital in Nevada. Plus, it was kind of hard to admit that part of my family was psycho."

Rossi looked at her. His eyes zeroed in once more.

"There's something else you're not telling us," he said. "Something else happened, didn't it? A little bit before you started gaining weight, I bet." A look of sheer panic crossed over her face as she met his gaze.

"Oh God," said JJ, a new understanding flashing through her mind.

"Everyone thought I was gaining weight, and the doctors didn't bother to check. They were too busy trying to save my life."

"You carried through with the pregnancy," Prentiss breathed. "You had his child."

"It happened before the last attack. By the time I left school, I was just starting to show. The foster family that took me in decided that I didn't meet their moral standards, so they kicked me out. I found out later that they died in an auto accident. Apparently their brakes failed."

"You were homeless, and pregnant?" asked Morgan, his voice soft with frustration and anger.

Mac nodded mutely.

"Eventually I gave birth to him. I gave him to the hospital for adoption. The last I heard, he has been adopted by a good family from Reno. He'd be about ten now."

"Do you know his name?" asked JJ.

"No, I don't. And I don't want him to know my name either. No kid should be exposed to my family."

"So we're back to the cards," said Reid, who squeezed and then released her hand from beneath the table. "Can you think of anyone who would have this much hatred towards you?"

"I don't know," she said, standing up and leaning against the conference table.

"Yes, you do!" barked Rossi. "Stop wasting our time! You know who this is!"

Instantly Reid stood up.

"Hey! Ease up!"

"No. She's been keeping information from us from the start, and I'm sick of it. She knows in her gut who is doing this, and she needs to tell us. Now!"

With that, he brought his fist down on the table. Mac jumped at the sound, and the cell phone skittered of the table onto the floor.

"Look, the entire time my father was institutionalized, he didn't receive any visitors besides his doctors, nurses, and a few volunteers. Everyone is accounted for, and he died well before these murders started. Everyone I know is either dead or far away from me, so I'm telling you, I don't know!"

"What about boyfriends? Were you ever married?" asked Hotch

"I came close once, but he died before we could get married."

"How did he die?" asked Emily.

"A hit and run accident," she answered. "Look, that was years ago. What does that have to do with this?"

"There is a pattern forming, Anastasia," said Reid standing next to her. "Someone has hated you for a very long time. It looks like someone has systematically trying to destroy your life from the time your father was put into the hospital. First, your foster parents die in a car accident. Then the man you were going to marry dies as well. Finally, two strangers who look like you die, and then the two people who acted as your surrogate family gets murdered. There is a definite pattern forming."

She closed her eyes. "I'm Typhoid Mary," she whispered under her breath.

"Actually Typhoid Mary was the first healthy carrier of typhoid fever in the United States around 1906. She caused the death of people by unwittingly spreading the disease to the people around her. I don't think you're doing that," said Reid.

"Hey Reid?" Mac said looking at him briefly.

"What?"

"Shush. Please."

"Hey Team!" called Garcia's voice from the floor. "Got something else for you."

"What'd you got?" asked Morgan as he picked up the phone.

"It turns out that the hair that you guys found did have a partial root attached. While the root itself was damaged by being out in the weather, and being in contact with pine tar, the lab was able to extract a partial DNA profile."

"How partial? Were they able to compare it to anything?" asked Prentiss.

"Well based on the information I just told you, I had them compare what they had to the victims as well as Detective McCaffrey. No tie to the victims, but they were able to find a tenuous connection to the Detective."

"Wait. You mean I'm related to this monstrosity?" asked Mac.

Garcia sat silent for a moment.

"It looks like it. According to the data I have, the unsub is a close male relative."

* * *

Chapter 9 – Resisting the Truth

"This is wrong," Mac said, heading to the door. "There's no way he's involved. Mom took him away."

"The evidence shows otherwise, Detective McCaffrey," reasoned Hotch. "Unless you have other close male relatives than your brother or your son, our clearest suspect is one of them. And since I don't see a ten year old traveling from Nevada, the only option left is your younger brother."

"But he got away! Mom and he left!"

"Garcia, see if you can track down Detective McCaffrey's brother and mother. See where they're located now," said Morgan.

"Of course. What are their names?"

"Susan and Jason McCaffrey "answered Mac. She felt so numb. She felt so cold. Why was this happening?

"Give me a few. I'll track them down for you. Garcia over and out."

"Reid, why don't you take Detective McCaffrey back to her apartment, and then meet us back here."

"No," said Mac standing up straighter. "I need to see this to the end."

"And you will, but right now you're too emotional, and exhausted to be of use to the team. When was the last time you slept?"

"I don't know."

"Exactly. Reid, take her to her apartment."

Spencer took her gently by the elbow and led her out the door. They walked together up the narrow stairs to her apartment, Mac leaning against him every so often to steady herself.

"So we're at my door. You can go down to your friends now," she said as she tried to put the key in the lock. Damn, she really must be tired. She was acting like a drunk.

"Uh-huh," said Spencer taking the key from her hand. He slid the key easily into the lock, and turned the knob. "I'm under orders to make sure that you get into your apartment and get some rest. So no arguing."

"Yes sir," she chuckled as she walked into the apartment.

"Get into bed, Anastasia," he ordered softly. Why did his breath get caught in his throat when he said that? Without arguing, she went to the edge of the bed and stretched in a wide yawn, lifting the bottom edge of her shirt higher than her pants. Reid noticed a very ugly scar across her on the left side of her abdomen. Mac realized what had happened and quickly pulled her shirt down to re-cover the scar.

"Why didn't you tell me about your father?" he asked. Mac sighed as she sat down on the bed. She leaned over and took off her shoes.

"I didn't want you to think any less of me," she said with a shrug. "From day one, I liked being around you, and I figure if you knew about him, you'd see me as some sort of freak. I couldn't risk that."

Reid came over and sat beside her on the edge of the bed.

"My mom was schizophrenic," he blurted out, staring intently at his shoes.

"Wait, what?" she replied, turning to face him, one leg dangling off the edge of the bed and the other one bent at the knee. She lifted his chin and forced him to look at her. His eyes told her that he wasn't joking.

"I'm… I'm sorry, Spence. I didn't know."

"Well now you do. And you know why I could never, ever, see you as a freak."

A soft, sweet smile washed over her tired face, and for a brief instant Reid was reminded of the young teenage girl that had literally pulled him out of the library to enjoy the sun of a spring day. Her laughter and smile was always infectious. Even now, with all that was going on, he couldn't help but smile.

"Get under the covers, Anastasia," he said, getting up from the bed.

"You know, you're the only one allowed to call me that," she drawled as she got under the covers. Reid watched her chest rise and fall as she moved.

"I'll keep that in mind," he replied as he pulled the cover up over her body. He watched as her tired eyes fluttered shut.

"Spencer?"

"Mmm?"

"You know you've always had my heart, right?"

"Yeah. I know that now. I guess in a way, you've had a part of mine too."

Mac fell asleep with a soft smile playing at her lips. Spencer took a deep breath, raked his fingers through this hair and headed to the door.

Chapter 10 – A Time for Action

Reid re-entered the conference room.

"You're just in time, Spencer," said JJ. "It looks like our girl Garcia has found something."

Spencer swallowed and took a step forward to sit at the table.

"Hey Garcia, what do you have?"

"I've got the goods, genius boy," she lightly teased. "It turns out that after leaving your fair maiden in that hellhole, mommy and brother dearest traveled to Texas, where they legally changed their names to Rachel and James Clayton. From the information that I've been able to gather, the new Rachel Clayton was a very strict mother, and James was known for his violent streaks, and as a neighborhood bully. School records showed that he was sent to a psychiatrist for evaluation, and the report recommended monitoring him closely due to "the increased potential and apparent disposition to mental breaks from reality." Now, about six months ago, the mother passed away after having a major heart attack, right in front of the son, who was 26 at the time."

"There's the stressor," said Emily. "He just lost the only family that he's known."

"Well, somehow, James traveled up to Nevada and looked up his father. According to the records from the facility, James visited with his father for the next few months until he passed away, about a month ago."

"Losing both parents in the span of six months," moaned JJ. "That can't be good."

"He obviously blames Mac for separating him from his father, and maybe even causing the death of his mother. In his twisted mind, it's no wonder that he wants revenge. A sister who locked up his father, and sent his mother and him away from the only home he ever knew," reasoned Rossi.

"Any idea where he is, Garcia?" asked Hotch.

"Not exactly," sighed Garcia. "According to my records, he moved to the Raleigh area about 3 months ago. His last known address was an apartment next to a flower shop."

"Flower shop?" asked Morgan. "Hey, kid. What was the name of that flower delivery kid?"

Reid's eyes widened. "Karl said his name was Jimmy."

"Hey Garcia, can you send over a recent picture of James Clayton?"

"Already headed your direction. You should be getting it on the laptop now."

"I'll go get the patrol officer," said JJ. "His name was Karl?"

Hotch nodded.

A few minutes later, Karl walked into the room.

"You folks need something?"

"Yes. Karl, we'd like you to take a look at a photograph and see if you recognize the person, all right?" said Morgan as he turned the laptop around.

Karl leaned in and looked at the image. It didn't take long for a look of recognition to cross his face.

"That's Jimmy from the flower shop across town. He's a little bit older now, but I'd recognize him anywhere."

The team traded quick glances. The pieces were coming together.

"Do you know where he lives?" asked Reid.

"Why is he in trouble? He seems like such a good guy," said Karl, a clouded look passing over his eyes.

Rossi shook his head.

"No," he said. "Jimmy's not in trouble. We just need to confirm a few facts with him about the case."

"Well, I don't know where he lives exactly, but that really doesn't matter. He's working today." Karl looked at his watch. It's just about 3 o'clock now. He should be coming back from his last delivery about now. You should be able to find him at the flower shop. It's about a twenty minute drive from here. Just head up the main road about six miles and take a left at the next light. Another two miles down the road, and it should be on your right. Can't miss the place."

"Thanks," replied Morgan as the team headed out the door.

* * *

Chapter 11 -- Confrontations

Mac lay in her bed, still tired and unable to fall completely asleep. Her mind raced along a twisting track, a combination of Reid, memories of her past, and the current situation. Everything was shifting and changing, melding and reforming in her imagination, making it impossible to sleep. With a snort of frustration, Mac swung her feet onto the floor and got out of bed.

And then she heard it. It was a soft, low, metallic sound. Like something hitting a pipe somewhere in the building. Instantly, her senses became heightened. That sound didn't belong. She went to the table beside her bed and picked up her gun, flipping the safety off and checking the clip. Although the police station was just downstairs, she realized that most everyone would be out canvassing the neighborhood, looking for the Captain's killer. Besides, that sound didn't fit with décor of the building. The only metal was some piping and conduit on the ceiling. She doubted the boys would be playing a joke on her by hitting the pipes with one of their batons.

Cautiously, Mac went to the door and opened it a crack. The hallway looked deserted. With her gun drawn, she moved rapidly down the hallway, checking the doors on the other storage rooms. The doors were locked. The only way down was the stairs. She knew she needed back up, but she also knew that no one was there to do so. Besides, what if she was just chasing a ping of an expanding pipe?

With a deep breath, she started towards the narrow stairs, a silent prayer echoing in her head.

******

Morgan opened the door to the flower shop. An older lady looked up from behind the counter.

"May I help you?" she asked, searching their faces as they walked into the room. Rossi and Reid stayed outside and circled around the back of the store.

"Ma'am," I'm Supervisory Special Agent Hotchner of the FBI," said Hotch, flipping open his badge and allowing the woman to inspect it. "We'd like to talk to James Clayton. Is he available?"

"Now why would you want to talk to him, Sugar?" she asked as she looked up from his credentials. "I'm sure the boy didn't do anything to warrant this kind of attention."

"Please, ma'am, he's not in any trouble," lied Morgan. "We just need to talk with him."

The lady at the counter shrugged.

"Well, I'm afraid you just missed him. He left about ten minutes ago, heading towards town. Said he had one more delivery to make, and then he was going home."

Morgan and Hotchner looked at each other.

"Are you sure about that?" asked Morgan, stepping forward.

"Of course. Take a look around if you want. He's not here."

Morgan, Hotchner and Prentiss drew their weapons much to the surprise of the storekeeper who backed against the wall. A quick search of the premises proved that the shopkeeper was correct.

"Let's go," said Hotch, replacing his weapon. "We know where he's headed."

*********

Slowly, Mac made her way down the stairs, her back pressed against the wall, her gun drawn and pointing downward. This was crazy. She was crazy.

No danger met her on the stairs, and Mac looked into the hallway. It was empty, and she didn't hear any sounds from the main precinct room. That was wrong. She should have heard something. Someone should be there, either typing, or the soft murmur of voices over the phone. She made her way along the hallway toward the main room, her heart thumping in her throat.

She entered the main room, her back hugging the wall. She said Karl slumped over his desk, and her stomach dropped.

"No," she whispered, inching her way towards him. This wasn't happening. She reached out and touched his neck gingerly. He was unconscious, but there was still a faint pulse.

"Thank God," she breathed, momentarily closing her eyes.

"Hiya Sis!"

Mac's eyes flew open just in time to see a steel blade flash towards her. She stumbled backwards, dropping her gun, and barely dodging its sharp edge. Jimmy came from around the desk and lunged at her again. She scurried back, her instinctive need to escape overpowering her training to reach for her gun.

"You need to stop this, Jason," she called out, trying to reason with him as she moved to better cover behind a steel desk. With a crackle, the room went dark, leaving only shadows and a psychopath as her company. Mac cursed under her breath. If she got out of this alive, that circuit breaker box was definitely moving back down to the basement.

"Jason? That's not my name anymore, remember?" he shouted, rage filling his lungs. "I'm no longer Jason. I'm Jimmy now. You even took my name from me. You took my home, my family. You took my life!"

"What are you talking about?" she growled, anger and frustration rising in her despite her best efforts. "You guys left me! You left me with that crazy son of a bitch!"

"We left because of you! Mom said that you were a bad influence. She said you were evil! You said you'd meet up with us once everything got settled!"

"Mom and you left me, and never sent word!"

"Liar!" he screamed, throwing a chair in her general direction. "Dad was right, you are a demon. I bet you killed him too!"

Oh God, she thought. What type of family did she come from? Was everyone crazy?

Mac heard the loud crack of a gun being fired, she cringed down and cursed herself for leaving her gun behind for him to find. She was pinned down with no weapon. What was she going to do?

* * *

Reid leaned forward in the car, silently willing the vehicle to go faster.

"We'll get there in time, Spence," reassured Emily, placing a hand on his shoulder from the back seat. He glanced down at her hand, and returned his gaze to the road.

"I hope so," he muttered. He didn't like this feeling, not by a long shot. Through his thundering heartbeat he heard Hotch on the radio calling in for reinforcements.

It seemed like an eternity, but they arrived at the police station and met with the local SWAT team who was assessing the situation.

"What's the situation?" asked Morgan as he got out of the vehicle.

"We're not sure," said the sergeant, looking at the building. "A single gunshot was reported, and the only police not accounted for are Detective McCaffrey and Officer Karl Haines." There is evidence of someone entering the building on the other side using the fire escape."

"Have you made contact yet?"

"No, and the only other activity since then was the power being cut to the main room. How would you like to proceed?"

"Who cut the power?"

"Not us. Our best guess is the unsub. How do you want to enter?"

"Very carefully. How many weapons are within the police station, and how accessible are they?"

"There is a cache of weapons in a locked room downstairs. If whoever is in there got the key off of the detective, he would have access to a lot of firepower."

"All right, we've got to move fast. Hopefully the unsub hasn't gotten to them."

With trained efficiency, the team and the SWAT team moved into the police precinct. Rossi entered first, and rapidly made his way to the main room, with Hotch, Morgan and JJ following closely behind.

Mac heard them enter, and quickly called out to them.

"He's got a gun!" she shouted, moving rapidly towards Karl, hoping he still had a weapon on him. Jimmy heard the movement and fired two shots. She scooted behind the desk that Karl was slumped over and reached into his holster. His gun was there!

"Anastasia!" Spencer called out as he moved along the wall towards her. With a laugh Jimmy stood up and took aim. Instinctively, she rose up and pulled the trigger on Karl's gun, and heard a sickening _click._

Shots rang out from either side of Reid, and he watched as the unsub twitched and fell to the ground. He twitched once more and finally stilled, his shirt becoming a dark red under the glare of their flashlights. One of the SWAT officers went over to the circuit breaker panel and brought the lights back on.

Mac came unsteadily to her feet and walked over to the body.

"I can't believe this," she muttered, looking down at him.

"I'm sorry," said Reid coming over and standing next turn her.

She sighed and turned, her shoulder brushing softly against his arm.

"It's all right," she whispered. "The one who has my heart is safe. That's all that matters."

Reid watched after her as she walked out the door into the gathering twilight.

* * *

Chapter 13 – A Step Forward

Morgan, JJ, Hotch, and Prentiss stood outside the police station talking with Mac, Officer Dawson, and Officer Jakes.

"You know," said Emily looking at Mac, "you'd fit in pretty well at the FBI. And I think someone would enjoy having you around."

Mac smiled slightly. "Tempting offer, Agent Prentiss, but I think for now, my place is here."

"Well, if you change your mind, you know where to find us," said Hotch, extending his hand.

"Yeah, I do," she said shaking his hand. "And you guys are always welcome in my neck of the woods. Hopefully next time will be a little less exciting, huh?"

"I hope so," laughed Morgan. "You bring a bit too much drama to the table."

"I've got a question," said JJ, taking a step forward. "It's silly, really, but why did you call Spencer, stranger? Everyone could see that you weren't strangers." Color rose quickly into her cheeks.

"That's easy," Reid said, coming up behind Mac. "Anastasia and I were in a play together in high school. I was cast as 'Stranger # 1' and she was 'Stranger # 2.' I guess both of us felt a little like strangers to everyone else, so her nick name for me just stuck."

Emily and JJ glanced at them and smiled.

"Come on, guys," said Emily motioning the others to move to the cars. With knowing glances, one by one the team moved away, leaving Reid and Anastasia standing there alone. She turned around to face him.

"So, I guess you're going back to Washington," she said, her gaze meeting his eyes, and searching them.

"And I guess you're staying here," he replied, instinctively moving in closer. Her heart beat a little faster, but she didn't move away.

"D.C. isn't that far from Raleigh, you know," she said, leaning in, her face nearly touching his.

"It's just a little over an hour by plane," he whispered, his eyes searching her face. "We could probably do lunch. Get to know each other again."

She smiled, her arms snaking slowly around his waist.

"I'd like that," she said. Reid pulled her closer, their faces barely touching.

"So would I," he murmured.

He held her tight for a moment, and felt her breath intermingling for a briefly with his. Part of him wanted to kiss her, but he stopped just short. She looked up and smiled slightly, a soft sadness creeping into her eyes.

"Quite right, stranger," she said, easing out of his embrace. "There's time enough for that later."

"I'll call you when I get home," offered Reid.

"So I know you're safe," she finished for him. She glanced over his shoulder. "You better go, your friends are waiting."

Reid moved his hair behind his ear and turned haltingly to go. Without a word, he walked away, leaving the lingering traces of their embrace in the air.

*******

Later, just before the plane started its final descent into D.C., Emily came over and sat in front of Reid.

"So, you kiss her?" she asked, searching his face. Reid smiled and shook his head no.

"There's time enough for that later," he said, hearing Anastasia's voice echoing through his head.


End file.
